Sounds good to me... And the Tom's kit looks sick on your car, can't believe you passed on it but I have seen a few on the classifieds. I will prob get a front lip from a member on here.

 

. That is tough to answer, in terms of replacing the stock sub using the stock free-air configuration the pioneer is a very good match. Pioneer's subs that are designed to be used in free air application historically have performed very well. I will not go into to great detail but if a woofer is to be used in a free-air environment it needs to possess specific characteristics and pioneer's engineers have done a very good job of developing a speaker that can meet those parameters. If you are looking into employing a enclosed subwoofer, the sky is the limit. I had a JL 12W7 in my SC400 and it was CRAZY!!! It was a bass machine, it was very accurate and at the same time was very loud. I was not not concerned about weight so the heavy subwoofer and heavy box did not bother me. Oh also it significantly reduced my trunk space. With my IS-F, I do not want to add weight but at the same time want to maximize the stock stereos potential so I am going to add the Pioneer and see how I like it. I am a moderate audiophile, my home audio equipment includes B&W and Vandersteen transducers, and old school Carver and Denon components. It really depends on your music taste on what type of sub-woofer, type and size of amp and type of box I would consider purchasing and installing.

 

Sorry I had Steve Meade's screen name WAY off. It is meade916, He is the true expert when it comes to car audio he does some of the most amazing installs. You may want to shoot him a PM.

 

Would this work in a 2012 IS250 non-ML system? Or does it take the ML amp to make it worth it?

 

I have a non ML system and it bumps pretty good all the way to 60.... But I am use to more base.. My Outland Sport has the 710 watt rockford system.. Id say the lexus has a crisper sound but i want just a bit more base.

 

if anyone got a perfect match subwoofer speaker foam let us know! apparently, dynamat aint enough!

 

Are you sure it is the speaker foam causing the vibration/distortion you're hearing and not the grille placed back over the woofer?

 

the grill doesnt touch the speaker..
i know the seatbelt assembly causes the vibration because when i touch it , it reduces the vibration sound so maybe if i put a foam between the seatbelt assembly and the chassis, it would work?
lol

 

The best things to do is crank up the volume, climb in the back and touch everything until you find whatever is rattling. When you find it strap it down/secure it/tape it, etc. Phantom rattles bug the crap out of me.

 

The Mark Levinson is 8-Ohm... these Pioneers are 4-Ohm.... isn't that a problem?

 

Just got done installing mine. Vibrates its *** off. But I think it is the bigger sub hitting the metal, since the factory sub hole is a lot smaller.

 

Dont you hate the vibration? I hate that **** lol

 

I'm pretty sure since the hole for the factory one is smaller, that the actual sub is hitting that now. I'm either going to space it out or cut it.

 

I'd try a spacer it in before cutting anything on a car. Cutting is too permanent for me. If I can't someday put it back to stock, the mod has gone too far..


Here you go. Guy says he will custom cut them for your use. I wonder if he will also use thinner stock, meaning if 3/4" stands it away too far for the cover to fit on it, will he use 1/2 or 1/4" MDF? Also would tell him it is for a down firing sub to see if that makes a difference with the clearance there..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NR-New-Custo...-/390338977885

 

I did not realize that the ML amp was rated at 8 ohms. This speaker is a 4 ohm speaker.. The amp will be pushing out more current and could get rather warm, possibly hitting it's thermal protection and shutting itself off. Most high end amplifiers will do ok for a while pushing out to a 4 ohm speaker, but there really isn't a way to know how "high end" the ML amp is. Is the sub in a ML system driven off of its own amplifier? Are there a few different amps in there? I think I saw the ML amp is fan cooled as well. If you are listening to the music at a reasonable volume then there shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you crank it up because Beyonce is singing "Single Ladies" (and really, who doesn't? ) It probably won't do much harm. If you crank to volume to max and play the entire collection of Tupac, that probably would stress it to the point of thermal shutdown.

I've never heard or seen a ML system in person, so my knowledge is limited on what it looks like and is capable of.